Question: The item in this photo was very much a part of some very important businesses in the past. Do you know what it is and what it was used for? What notable businesses here in Baldwinsville might have used it?
Last week’s answer: The covered bridge featured last week crossed the Seneca River at Jacks Reef, a tiny hamlet on the south side of the Seneca River where the towns of Elbridge and Van Buren meet. The northern end of the bridge was in Lysander and the southern end was in Elbridge on Old Route 31.
The Seneca River was a well-used water highway long before primitive trails were established. By 1810 the name Jacks Reef was in use. By 1830 Central New York was buzzing with travelers. Old Route 31 was a major trail and the new Erie Canal, which was south of the Seneca, held great promises of opportunity and expansion. A sturdy bridge across the river directly to Jacks Reef would be a boon to Lysander-area farmers wanting to market their goods.
In 1838 the towns of Lysander and Elbridge joined forces and built the covered bridge. It began at the southern end of Lysander’s Plainville Road and connected directly with the “gateway settlement” of Jacks Reef. Taverns, a creamery and cheese factory, hotels and blacksmith facilities sprang up around this centuries old rich fishing ground.
The bridge was a construction marvel in its own right. Use of the newly devised lattice truss design provided a stronger bridge that could span longer distances while made of less expensive materials and using low skilled labor. The 282-foot-long bridge was built totally of wood from nearby farms with wooden pegs holding its timbers in place. Its cross timbers and support posts were hand hewn.
As time passed and traffic loads increased, repairs were made. The wooden elements were fortified with bolts and trusses at short intervals. The Gazette & Farmers Journal reported in October of 1879: “The river bridge at Jacks Reefs is being reshingled.”
In 1904 a bicycle path was constructed from Memphis to Jacks Reef, an amenity that was “greatly appreciated by a large number of fishermen.” Jacks Reef was a popular destination for picnickers and pleasure boaters as well as fishing parties. The old wooden covered bridge was more than a transportation pathway; it had become a romantic historic landmark.
In the meantime, small horse drawn wagons had given way to heavy gasoline-powered vehicles that carried loads of 15 tons. The burden on the bridge took its toll. In 1910 the bridge failed county safety inspection. Temporary repairs were made and serious remedial planning began.
In February 1923 voters in Lysander and Elbridge approved spending $20,000 to construct a new bridge. By May the modern concrete bridge was underway and the old bridge was being dismantled. A group of area residents, including 100 year old James Sears who had witnessed its construction as a young boy, petitioned the county to preserve the bridge citing its historic status, its merit as an engineering masterpiece, and the fact that it was the last remaining covered bridge in New York state.
Authorities were hesitant to preserve the structure even as a footbridge for fear of liability issues. By mid-November the old bridge had been completely removed and a modern concrete bridge was joined seamlessly with the newly paved concrete Plainville Road.
Contact Editor Sarah Hall at [email protected] or leave a message at 434-8889 ext. 310 with your guess by noon Friday (please leave the information in the message; we are not generally able to return calls regarding History Mystery responses). If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s Messenger, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
